5.29.2011

Oklahoma portrait special!

Hailey King Photography is now accepting a LIMITED number of portrait sessions while in the Oklahoma City/Norman area June 11th - June 16th. I have a special place in my heart for the state where I spent nearly my entire life and so I love to do sales when I come to town. The following package was created just for you and saves you $150. (That's basically no sitting fee!) See below for details!




5.28.2011

floaty free.




This is me.
Awkwardly picking up sea shells in Galveston, TX when I was about ten or eleven years old. It was my first time to really see the ocean. The sand was ugly, the water was a little brown, and there were seashells everywhere. It wasn't the pristine experience you visualize when thinking about a beach vacation, but I loved it. I loved every minute of it. I also love this photo. I remember that cloudy day spent with my mom and two sisters. And I remember wearing the floaty, not because I couldn't swim, but because I was in that awkward, pre-teen, self conscious stage of my life where I had baby fat. And my one-piece bathing suit or big round glasses weren't enough to distract from it or cover it up. I was kind of a dork. 

It's been 5 years since I've seen the ocean. And probably just as long since I've been on a real vacation. A lot has changed since then too. I started wearing a two-piece and quite wearing the floaty. But, unfortunately I'm still a dork. And unfortunately I'm often still very unsure of myself. Not really my body but my life. My choices. My happiness. And who I am.

I've been thinking a lot lately of two things. One is the opening dialog in the movie Crash when he says, "We're always behind metal and glass. We miss that touch so much, we crash into each other just to feel something."  And the other is taken from a powerful book I just read Called "A Language Older Than Words" by Derrick Jensen. He says, "For there to be growth there must always be a dying away. ...Let a part of your life die so another may emerge, to dive as fully into death as you do life, to embrace it and let it embrace you."

Now obviously they're not talking about actual car crashes or real death, but rather ...life.

So when my awesome surfer/underwater photographer friend Jimmy needed a house/cat sitter for his home in Florida recently I jumped at the opportunity. Not only did I want to help out Jimmy and his wife Cindy while they are in Missoula teaching at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography for the summer but I wanted, needed actually, a change. And of course I also wanted to spend hours on the beach searching for sea shells and swimming in the ocean, floaty free. I craved a drastic change of place and unfamiliarity, like the shock in your chest when jumping into ice cold water, something I was not only afraid of but knew would be good for me.

So in a couple weeks I'm leaving the comfort of these mountains in Colorado and will be on the road, beach bound. I wanted to inform all of my readers of this change for a few reasons.
1.  Because I needed to explain the sudden travel/beach photos that will be appearing on my blog
2.  Because I'll be stopping in Oklahoma and am taking a limited number of photo sessions during my visit! (More on this later & please contact me if you're interested!)
3.  And finally that I will be temporarily residing in Florida and looking for work there. (Portraits, weddings, food, and boudoir.) Again, contact me if interested.

Thanks to all of you who read this long post and continue to follow me and my work. It's because of your support that I continue to do what I do and stay in contact with who I am. You're truly wonderful. :)

And just for the fun of it (and because I apparently like to embarrass myself or don't care), here are a handful of other old beach/pool/floaty pictures.



Building sand castles.


From the Left: My little sister, big sister, me, and a neighborhood pal. Apparently still not understanding the use of a floaty.


Beach babes in Florida (Me and my older sister.) Gotta love those 1999 high rise swim suit bottoms. :)



5.22.2011

I'm a firm believer that you're never too old to build a fort.


Daphnie agrees. :)

5.17.2011

facebook.

I don't like to admit it, being a photographer and all, but I'm not the most technically savvy person. There. I said it. As I went into school for photography I was excited about color, composition, and aesthetics. But when it came to computer classes, software, and learning about cameras and lenses I couldn't have been more nervous. It must be for that same reason why it took me so long to finally get a Facebook fan page.


And as user friendly as Facebook seems on a personal level, I've found my business page to be far more complex. This, combined with all of the recent changes Facebook has made has had me in a pickle. This coming from the girl who still doesn't use a smart phone. (I'm working on it.) So this is me inviting you to come on over to Facebook and check it out.  And this is me warning you that it's new and rough around the edges, so be kind. 

:)

the birthday book.

In celebration of her birthday and mothers day and, well, because I love her so...



...I designed and printed this beautiful album. I wanted her to see what I saw when I looked at her. Beauty and a soft spirit. She's an amazing woman. I love you Mom.


For any of you interested this is a 20 page 8x8 album printed on recycled paper and covered in a light sage fabric. Albums are available in many sizes with a handful of cover options and can be an easy addition to any portrait, boudoir, or wedding collection.  More casual and budget friendly coffee table books are available too. Just email me for pricing details. :)

5.15.2011







  • homemade thin mint cookies
  • vegetable sammies
  • quiche with wilted spinach, parmesan, and apple sage vegan sausage

yum.

5.10.2011

engagement sneak peak.



Durango at sunset
high school sweethearts
wedding jitters 

It doesn't get much better than that. Stay tuned for more!

5.09.2011

5.08.2011


A week ago today Durango turned into a wintery wonderland. This weekend we took our shoes off and stuck our feet in the warm sand by the river. I enjoyed the warmth of the sun, but I think Daphnie enjoyed it more than anyone. What a rascal.